Tonight on AEW Dynamite, it’s the “go-home” for AEW Double Or Nothing as CM Punk and Hangman Page meet face-to-face before their World Title fight. Plus the finals to the Owen Hart Foundation Memorial Tournament are determined.
AEW DYNAMITE
May 25, 2022, Las Vegas, NV
Commentary: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone & Excalibur
MATCH 1
Steel Cage Match
Shawn Spears vs. Wardlow (Special Guest Referee: MJF)
MJF does a pat-down of Wardlow before acting like he can’t find the keys. Shawn Spears attacks and the bell rings. MJF finds the keys but attacks Wardlow. He gets double-teamed. Wardlow uses his strength to break the handcuffs. He soon hits a top rope senton for a pinfall, but Max doesn’t administer it. He begs Wardlow to hit him. Wardlow goes for a powerbomb, but Max kicks him in-between the uprights. Shawn hits his C4. Max goes for a quick count, but Wardlow kicks out. Shawn gets out of the cage and grabs a chair. MJF holds Wardlow for Spears, but Wardlow moves and Spears cracks Max flush with a steel chair. MJF is out cold. Wardlow nails four powerbombs on Spears and the crowd is irate. In comes Bryce Remsburg. Wardlow grabs Shawn’s chair and powerbombs Shawn on the chair. 1-2-3.
WINNER: Wardlow
Post-match, Wardlow takes out all the security and MJF escapes. A guard even gets powerbombed into the steel mesh and falls in between the apron and steel.
After the break, JAS encounter an AEW with a Jon Moxley shirt on. Jericho blows a fireball in his face…cause he’s a wizard.
We have the face-to-face with Hangman Page and CM Punk next. Tony Schiavone is in the ring with them. CM Punk makes clear he expects to walk out the champion after Double or Nothing. Next up, Hangman. He said exactly what he was going to do to Punk. There’s nothing he can do to take that championship away from him. Punk says he doesn’t know why Page is taking it so personally. It’s just business to him. It’s his title shot, it’s nothing personal. Hangman reiterates what he was going to do three weeks ago. He said he was going to embarrass Punk, but he didn’t mean at Double Or Nothing. He meant right now. He would love to drop a pipe bomb in his face. Hangman states he can’t do it because it’s exactly what Punk would do. He doesn’t hate Punk, he pities him. Page doesn’t think Punk gets it. The quiet moments behind the scenes what makes a champion. He talks about workers’ rights, Page is going to defend All Elite Wrestling from CM Punk.
Punk’s turn. He still doesn’t understand. Page is talking in circles. If he’s so upset Punk is here, he’ll have to do it on Sunday. He respects Page, but those roads he traveled to get here? They were paved by him. The lumber that built this place were from trees Puuk chopped down. The world he lives in is because of him. He prompts Page to shake his hand. Punk shoves Page and Page slugs Punk. That was all a part of the plan from CM Punk and Page walks off.
Out comes JAS and Jericho cuts off “Judas” for the fans before he joins commentary.
MATCH 2
Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley vs. Private Party
Eddie & Mox start with PP on the entryway. Eddie (who has a Terry Funk shirt on) takes it to Marq Quen. Soon so does Mox. William Regal is also on commentary. After the break, Private Party is on the high-flying offense. They get a near fall on Mox after a shooting star press. Eddie catches Marq in a modified dragon sleeper. Marq taps but Mox hits a Paradigm shift on Kassidy for the 1-2-3.
WINNERS: Kingston & Moxley
Post-match there’s an all-out brawl between the BCC and JAS. Danielson and Jericho slugh it out. Bryan’s leg becomes a target.
MATCH 3
ROH World Tag Team Championships
Roppongi Vice vs. FTR (c)
Caprice Coleman joins commentary as Bobby Prince makes the introductions for a ROH match. Rocky Romero and Cash start it off. The arm wrenches take place until Rocky downs Cash and both trade pin attempts. Big shouldert ackle by Rocky. Another one. Some real good moves by these two. Cash excapes an armbreaker.
Soon it’s Trent and Dax. Dax gets the better of the exchange and Dax plants Cash on Trent with a leg drop slam for a near fall. Rocky nails an enziguri on Cash who falls into a half and half by Trent. We go to break.
Back from it, Dax gets the hot tag, but Trent flings him into the corner turnbuckle chest first. Trent nails some Germans before Dax returns the favor with two of his own. Trent fights him off until Dax hits a bridging German for a near fall only for Rocky to break it up. Soon after, they hit Dax with double knees. Rocky attacks Cash on the outside. Top shotgun dropkick from Rocky on the apron. Dax just kicks out. Dax soon rolls up Trent for a near fall. Pins are exchanged. Trent and Rocky nail a Super Zero, but Cash shoves Rocky into Trent for the break-up.
Suddenly, out comes Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. The match gets thrown out as the NJPW United Empire takes out Roppongi Vice. Through tables included.
We cut to the Hardys. Matt discusses the similarities between them and the Young Bucks. The saying goes “never meet your heroes,” well the Bucks will never beat their heroes.
MATCH 4
Ricky Starks vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Jungle Boy
Ricky powders as it’s Swerve and JB.. Swerve offers JB a hand as Starks comes from behind to shove Swerve into JB and gets a roll-up on Swerve for a two count. JB gets elevated by Swerve for a great rana on Ricky. Ricky is on a roll as we head to break.
Jungle Boy shows offense after the break before Swerve has him set up on top. Ricky joins in but gets tossed to the outside. JB goes for a poison-rana but Swerve lands on his feet. Some wild offense goes down. Starks thumbs Swerve in the eye and hits a Roschambeaux but JB breaks it up for the Snare Trap. Starks struggles and makes it to the ropes. JB pulls him back and Starks fades, but Swerve stops it with his double stomp and the 1-2-3 on Starks.
WINNER: Swerve Strickland
Post match, the remaining members of the tag teams for this Sunday show up as Keith Lee finds himself center ring before leaping on top of Luchasaurus a Powerhouse Hobbs with a rolling cross body.
We see Dan Lambert. He tells Scorpio Sky that he got his TNT Championship belt replaced and it will be on AEW Rampage.
Out comes Thunder Rosa with no facepaint. She makes it clear that Serena is not a champion. Maybe Serena should look at herself in the mirror and blame herself. On Sunday, the war paint comes on for Rosa. On Sunday, La Mera Mera will make Deeb pay for disrespecting Tony Schiavone and her mentor, Dustin Rhodes.
Ruby Soho is backstage with Tony Schiavone. She makes clear she will get the better of Kris Statlander in the Owen Hart Foundation semi-finals as Red Velvet tries to toss shade at Ruby.
MATCH 5
Owen Hart Foundation Semi-Finals Match
Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm
It’s real back and forth battle that goes into a commerical break. That continues post-commercial. Toni goes for a Storm Zero, but Britt hits an Air Raid Crash. Out comes Jamie Hayter. Britt is distracted but kicks out of a roll up. Britt gets a near fall. Storm hits a release German suplex. Storm has a busted nose. Hayter is back on the apron and Storm slugs her. Britt goes for an Air Raid but sits down. Hayter helps Britt get her hand on the ropes for leverage and it’s good enough for the 1-2-3.
WINNER and ADVANCES: Britt Baker
MAIN EVENT
Owen Hart Foundation Semi-Finals Match
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Samoa Joe
KOR and Joe get down and dirty on the mat. Joe almost gets KOR in a sleeper, but he does kick KOR harshly to a big Vegas pop. Joe nails a big jumping elbow to KOR for a two count. Elbow to the shoulder followed by a snap suplex to KOR. Two count. KOR hits a rising knee and gets him with an arm wrench. KOR works on the shoulder and then hits a dragon screw over the ropes to get Joe down. He gets a two count before we head to a break.
This battle wages on. KOR escapes a Muscle Buster attempt for a fujiwa armbar and Joe just barely makes it to the ropes. These men kick one another’s blocks off. Joe soon catches KOR into a rear naked choke and the latter loses conciousness.
WINNER and ADVANCES: Samoa Joe
